Category: Wind Energy

The Texas wind power failure—wave of the future?

  The wind industry and Green Energy advocates took a hit this week when west Texas wind turbines froze in the middle of the Arctic wave that produced zero degree readings in the state—at a time when the wind power was desperately needed to provide warmth for the homes of millions. The rolling blackouts that …

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Winter storm leaves many unanswered questions

    When you consider the definition of the word “planning”, it is pretty simple. “the process of making plans for something.” I believe this week’s severe weather, severe in the fact that it created record cold weather in Oklahoma and throughout the Plains states and resulted in some unforeseen events, raised a lot of …

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Texas wind farms couldn’t produce in freezing weather

  The Arctic weather that settled in over the Midwest hit Texas so hard it resulted in mandated blackouts ordered by the state’s power grid regulators. The state’s massive wind farm operations were especially hard hit by the freezing weather. Millions of households lost electrical power as the unprecedented Arctic freeze also brought chaos in …

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Chemical maker to buy wind power from EDF Renewables

  Wind power company, EDF Renewables North America inks another big sale of its electrical power. The company, with major wind farm operations in Oklahoma signed a deal this week to provide power from one of its Texas wind farms to German chemicals producer BASF. BASF agreed to buy 35 MW of wind power capacity …

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Wind energy had a banner year in 2020

  The wind industry made huge gains in 2020 and a new study by the American Clean Power Association said it was a record year as there was an 85% increase in new wind power capacity over 2019. Developers in Oklahoma, Texas and other wind-power states added enough megawatts of capacity to power millions of …

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Renewable power transmission line fought by enviros

  Environmental groups have gone to court challenging a $500 million transmission powerline to carry wind-powered electricity from the wind farms of Iowa into Wisconsin. They want renewable power but not the way it’s being transmitted. The Cardinal-Hickory Creek line is the target of the lawsuit filed this week against the Rural Utilities Service and …

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Excel Energy reaches new wind power milestone

  Wind power company Excel Energy announced it is one of the first U.S. energy providers to reach 10,000 megawatts of wind energy capacity, a milestone powered by the company’s 10 new wind projects in Colorado, Texas, New Mexico and the Upper Midwest. The projects were completed in the past few years and the company …

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Wind farm restrictions adopted by County Commissioners in Kansas

  County Commissioners in Hutchinson, Kansas have voted to put more restrictions on wind farm developments including a 3,000-foot setback for wind turbines from homes. Reno County Commissioners also decided this week to set a mandatory 3-mile setback around state and federal wildlife properties, reported the Hutchinson News. The newspaper said no decision was made on …

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Two more Fortune 500 firms sign on to ALLETE’s Oklahoma wind projects

  ALLETE Clean Energy says it has made two more renewable energy sale agreements with two more Fortune 500 companies to receive power from its Caddo wind site under construction in western Oklahoma. Oshkosh Corporation and Hormel Foods agreed to receive a combined 100 megawatts from the wind farm once it is operational.   The …

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Wind farm operator forced to supply privileged communications in Osage County fight

  In a court case going back nearly 8 years, a Tulsa Federal Judge has ordered wind farm developer Osage Wind to turn over documents it contended were privileged communication with its legal representation. Osage Wind was sued by the Osage Minerals Council after it began construction of a wind farm in Osage County in …

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